Filling machine



Feb. 9 1926.

K. KIEFER FILLING MACHINE Filed June 12, 1920 2 Sheetssheet 1 FIG. 1l

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K. KIEFER FILLING MACHINE Filed June 12., 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 iTNEssEs. INVENToR.

Patented Feb. 9, 1926.

UNITED s'i'ares enana KARL KIEFER, OF CINCINNATI, OHO.

FILLING MACHINE.

Application led June 12, 1920.

STO alli/whom t ymay concern Be it known that l, KARL KIEFER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati. in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio,`have invented a new and useful Improvement in Filling; Machines, ot which the following' is a specilication.

My invention pertains to apparatus for filling' narrow necked or wide mouthed bottles or cans with liquid or semi-liquid substances, such as preserves or chili-sauce. without, however, beine,` limited to any par- 'tisular 'vessel or material.

I attain the object of my invention by the 'i'neehanism illustrated in the accon'ipanying rlraii'fing, in whichu l Fig". 1 is a sectional end elevation ot the filling' machine, the section heine' on the vertical plane ofthe line 1 1 ot Fig'. 3, but after rotation 900 theretron'i;

Fie'. 2 is a partial cross-section` correspending* to that o't' F 17 enlargech show- Tingthe valve mechanism: Y

`Fig'. 3 is a plan vie-w of the machine with the upper'part removed on the plane ot the linfe 3 3 of Fig'. 1; and

Fig'. l is plan view ot a valve detail. n Figs. 1 and 3, A is the table plate with a ce -trai bearing 2 in which a shaft 3 revolves. the lower part of this shaft having' a thread which is engaged by the hand wheel tor the raising' and lowering` of the shaft e. A bevel gear 5 engages by means or a key and slot 3 with the shaft 3. and by means or" the driving' mechanism and pulley 6, shown by dotted lines in Fie'. 1. the shaft 3 is rotated. The center shaft 3 with its threaded part revolves in. the lower bearing 10, attached to the bottom tranie B of the iframe work.

Next` to the center bearing* 2 is a sprocket heeltl engaging' a ilexible chain 7. plainly risible in Fin'. 3, This driving sprocket engages by means of a key to the slot 3 ofi the shaft An idler 8 Fig'. 8, forms the return for the endless flexible chain.

Flexible chain 7 carries a number et trays S) and these trays are to receive the bottles or cans which are to he lilled, as shown in Fig. 1".

12', 12 andl 12. rlhese are joined and steadied by cross frame C on the top, as shown in Fig. v1..

The Yfilling; machine as shown here has tour cylinders, which number is suliicient section.

.Mounted upon the it'rame A. VasA 'shown in Figs. 1 and 3, are tour posts 12,

Serial No. 388,588.

for a high speed of lillinpg.. However. the machine may be adapted 'for six, eight or more or fewer cylinders. Ria'idly fastened to the upper part et the shaft 3 .is a heavy cylinder frame D, Figi'. 1, shown in cross 'ilhis frame carries the filling and measuring' mechanism proper.v Carried by this frame D are cylinders 13 and 13; the other pair ot cylinders not being' shown are at exact right angles to those shown.

Reciprocating vertically are pistone let and 14 driven by piston rods 15 and 15 lined to brackets 16 and 1G which are tened to slides 17 and 17. rfhese slides are accurately itted in the cylinder frame l) and may he moved upwai'ds or downwards by rollers 1S and 18 moving' during' the operation in the inclined track E. This inclined track 1G has an upper and lower section which are held together by lusrs 19, 19. 19 and 19. By means 01"' these rollers. which are loall shaped, the pistons are forced to rcciprocate during' the revolution of the cylinder iframe D, caused by shaft 3 and driving' mechanism.

rllhe inclined track swivels around two trunnions 2O and 20', Figi'. These trunnions are litted to those two of the main posts 12 and 12 whichv are in alinen'ient parallel to the straight track section ot the flexible carrier systenn viz: 12 and 12. By means ot screws 21 and 21 engaging' these trunnions, the inclined track may be raised or lowered, and by means oi steadying` clamps 22 and 22 on the other two posts 12 and 12, the degree ot inclination of this track E may be adjusted and permanently locked a'lfter adjusti'i'ient. it is preferable that the two elevating?,` screws 2l and 21 should be connected by a sprocket chain not shown. l? 1, liowever. shows one ot the sprockets 8S and the hand wheel 39. and this connection is it'or the purpose of elevating.;` and lowering' both screws at the same time so as to avoid jamming.

lt evident troin the construction et the inclined track that all pistons will ascend during one hallI the'revolution and descend during the other half of the revolution. Supposingr that the lillinn` machine as shown in Figs. 1 and to move clockwise, then the highest point of the track E is at post 12 and the lowest at post 12". The pistons, therefore, move upward during' their` travel :trom post 12 to post 12, and downwards 'trom 12 to 12".

variously tilting); the track E and adjustment up and down accordingly, will vary the stroke ot the pistons, and, consequently, the amounts forced out thereby.

l will now describe the valve mechanism proper. rlhe lower part of the cylinder tra-nie D isV closed by the cylinder bottom plate Fig'. l, shown partly in enlarget cross section in Fin'. 2, and in top view. Figi'. Ll. rlhis plate 23 is tightly screwed against the cylinder' traine casting: l.) and also the lower part of the .'.ylinders` sol as to malte a tight ioint. '.lhis is done by bolts, the bolt holes 2l shown in detail. Fie'. fl.

The cylinder bottom plate h an annular degending hub shown in Fig'. 2 and keyed to it by means or" hey 26 is spout plate 27. Between the two plates 23 and 27 Ais a main valve casting- 28, Figs. l and 2, and this main salvecasting is shown in top view in Fig. 3. Cylinder' bottom plate 23, which closes the bottoni of the cylinders, has outlet holes 29,29', 30 and 80 for the cylinders, Fig. 1l. 'lhese outlet holes have ditlerent distances from the center, 29 and 29 located in an outer circle, and 30 and 30 in an inner circle, opposing cylinders having' these outlets at the saine distance Afrom the center. The openings in the spout plate of which one is marked in Fig. 2 by the numeral 3l, are exactly underneath and corresponding' with the openings in the cylinder bottom plate lt will be seen from the foregoing' description that cylinder bottoni plate 23 and spout plate 27 revolve together, being' keyed to- `a'etlier by means oi" hey 26. Fig'. '.phe valve casting 28 is interposed between these two plates and remains stationary during operation, and byits peculiar and novel arrangement of the port ways. alternately connects and disconnects the cylinders with the fillingspouts or the intake for the material. The diilierent radial spacing` ot the inlet and d scharge openings maintains the discharges l stine In Fig'. 3, 82 is a supply opening in valve castii 28. lt has the shape of a crescent.. ,lntegnlly cast with the casting 28 is an inlet-*tube which communicates with the intake opening 32. This intake opening 32 is open to the top but closed at the bottom as shown in Figi?. l in cross section, while two other cr'v'ent shaped openings Bel and 35 in the other halt of the valve casting' 28 go all the way through it, so that the outlet of the cylinder can be connected with the spout as shown in Fin'. l. Y y

- During the ascent of the pistons their respective cylinders are always connected with the supply opening,- 32 and give access oit the material to the cylinders. During.` the descent of the pistons they are respectively connected with the outlet openings 34 and 35 of the valve plate, and eject the material through these narrow crescent shaped openings 34 and 35 ot .the bottom plate. rl`here are two neutralsolid places in the direction of the posts l2 and l2 and two 'of these spout openings are shown in dotted lines as standing under these neutral places.

)late 27 'to cestino' 2 can be made b f nut BS on hub 25, shown in detail in F 2, to c make a liquid-tight yoint yet allow easy running'. Spout castings 87 are fastened'at the. lower part of the spout plate 28 to bring the outlet openings centrally over the tray centers.Y Nut 36 of Fig'. 2 has a very long` thread tor the purpose of lowering' the valve plate 28 and the spout plate 27 fory the purpose of cleaning.

The neutral Zone of the valve plate is at right angle to the generaldirection of the tray carrier system as in Fig'. 3, not as shown in Fig'. l. The discharge oi the cylinders is only while the tray revolves in the semicircular path around the main shaft 3 troinlpost l2 to post 12.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. In a illing` machine, :a revolvable meastiring' cylinder having' a port, a spout and a container-carrier revolving with said cylinder, a `lined member between said cylinder and said spout, having' an inlet opening to said port .during part of therevolution and having' an outlet opening' from said port to said spout during` another 'part of the revolution, a piston in said cylinder to actuate substance through said port, and a .fixed inclined circuitous track operatively related to said piston.

2. In a filling' machine, a revolvable series ot cylinders each having' a port, spouts and container-carriers revolving with the respective cylinders, a fixed member between said cylinders and said spouts, having an inlet opening' to said ports during' part of the revolution and having an outlet opening from certain ones of said ports to the respective spouts during another part of the revolution, and having another outlet openinn,` from. other ones of said ports to their respective spouts during; this other part ot the revolution. pistons in the respective cyliudci's to actuate substance through said ports, and means for actuating' said pistons vincident to the revolution.

e. In, a lilling machine, a revolvable series of cylinders arranged around adjacent to the axisfot' revolution, each having' a port, spouts and container-carriers revolving around adjacent to saidA alxislwith thel respecspout opening shows through the inner crestive cylinders, fixed means between said cylinders and said spouts controlling inlet to said ports and outlet from said ports to said spouts, pistons in the respective cylinders to actuate substance through said ports, and a lixed inclined circuitous tracx operatively related to said pistons.

4. In a filling machine, a revolvable series of cylinders arranged around adjacent to the axis of revolution, each having a port, spouts and container-carriers revolving around adjacent to said axis with the respective cylinders, fixed means between said cylinders and said spouts controlling inlet to said ports and outlet from said ports to said spouts, pistons in the respective cylinders to actuate substance throughsaid ports, a lixed inclined circuitous track extending around said series of cylinders, and means connected to the respective pistons, movably mounted radially outside s-eries of cylinders, and operatively engaging with said track.

5. In a filling machine, rotary means comprising a cylinder adjacent to the axis of said means and a piston in said cylinder, and an inclined circuitous track around said rotary means, radially outivard from said cylinder, an operative connection to said piston, engaging with said track to actuate said piston incident to rotation of said rotary means, and trunnions for said track, diainetrically opposite to each other, on which said track swings to vary the stroke of the piston, the arrangement of said track radially outward from the cylinder permitting a compact construction of said machine together With a relatively great length of.

track to ailord a relatively low angle of inclination thereof, for minimizing friction and Wear o'i the operative connection.

6.111 a filling machine, rotary means comprising a cylinder and a piston in said cylinder, an inclined circuitous track, an operative connection to said piston, engaging with said track to actuate said piston incident to ter oi' revolution opening from the ports at the different distances'from said center to respective ones of said spouts during another part of said revolution, pistons in the respective cylinders to actuate substance through said ports, and means for operating said pistons incident to the revolution,

8. ln a iilling machine, rotary means compri'sing a cylinder and a piston in said cylinder reciprocating substantially parallel with the axis of rotation of said rotary means, and a stationary valve Vplate relatively to Which said cylinder is rotated, having an inlet port and an outlet port, each extending partly around said axis, said cylinder having a port communicating With the respective valve-plate ports intermittently incident t0 the relative rotation, the stationary condition of said valve plate permitting it to have its inlet port ixedly con-.

nected with an extraneous source of 'supply Without an opening to the atmosphere between said valve-plate inlet port and said source of supply.

9. In a iilling machine, a revolvable series of cylinders arranged around adjacent to the axis of revolution, spouts revolving around adjacent to said axis with the respective cylinders, iixed means between said cylinders and said spouts, admitting substance to said cylinders and controlling outlet from said cylinders to their respective spouts, pistons in the respective cylinders, means for operating said pistons incident to the revolution, a sprocket remote from said axis, a 'sprocket on said axis, and an endless series of container-carriers carried by said sprockets and revolving with the respective cylinders and spouts around adjacent to said axis.

10. In a filling machine, a revolvable series of cylinders arranged around adja= cent to the of revolution, spouts revolving around adjacent to 'said axis with the respective cylinders, fixed means betWeen` said cylinders and said spouts, contro-lling inletto said cylinders and outlet therefrom to the respective spouts, pistons in the respective cylinders, a fixed inclined circuitous track extending around 'said series of cylinders, means connected to the respective pistons and operatively engaging With said track, a sprocket remote from said axis, a sprocket on said axis, and an endless series of container-carriers carried by said lsprocl ets and revolving with the respective cylinders and spouts around adjacent to said axis.

KARL KIEFER. 

